Our Pack
by calikocat
Summary: Side chaps from Child of the Hellmouth that start from Christmas break and go onward.
1. My Alpha: Kyle

My Alpha: Kyle

calikocat

word count: 940

XXX

Alpha was different here, yet the same. He'd never really thought of his Alpha as someone's little brother. But that's what he saw here. For the first time he saw that unlike a coin, Xander Harris had many sides. He snorted; Xander has had a strange influence on him. Before all the weird started happening, or at least when he finally noticed all the weird around him...he had at least made sense in his own thoughts. Now...not so much.

He gazed at the sleeping boy across the room. He can see fine from the haze the street lights outside provided. Xander was sleeping fitfully, twitching, with a small frown on his face. Even with that frown he was...pretty? Cute? Handsome? All of the above?

Before the Hyena, Kyle never would have made a play for another guy. That's one thing he's thankful for. The Hyena freed him in a way. It opened a whole new door. Heck, it doubled the number of all those fish in the dating sea. Which made things fun again and god knew a bored Kyle was a dangerous thing...except he wasn't dating. He didn't even want to date. There was no one he wanted...except Xander...and possibly Larry. Larry had a nice smile. Kyle shook thoughts of Larry away and watched the other teen shift restlessly and pouted, though there was no one there to see it.

Yusuke had provided a cot for him to sleep on, completely balking when they had gone to bed, in the same bed. Xander had argued that it was only sleeping, and it was a little late anyway. Yusuke hadn't budged an inch on the subject. So Kyle was on a folding cot across the room from his Alpha. The only one he wanted...except...Larry's face flashed in his mind again. There was definitely potential there.

A whimper snapped him out of his thoughts. Kyle looked around in confusion. He'd never heard a sound quite like it before. When he heard it again he was surprised that the source was Xander.

"Harris?" Another whimper was the only answer. With a quick flip of the covers his sheet and blanket were on the floor and he was at Xander's side looking down at the other boy. "Xander?" The salty smell of tears hit his nose and he knelt beside the bed, running his hands over Xander's shaking body before he even knew what he was doing. "Alpha?" He whispered, real fear creeping into him when Xander still didn't respond. Xander's sudden cry of anguish sent that fear straight to his throat and he shook the other boy. The first shake was gentle, then harder, when Xander only moaned, never waking up. "Oh god."

Kyle rose to his feet, leaving the shaking miserable form behind him. His feet were swift, and quiet on the carpet of the hall. Much in contrast to his fist on the door to the Master bedroom this was loud and sudden; accompanied by a scream in the background.

Yusuke threw the door open, eyes hard, his hair ungelled and for a second Kyle was facing his Alpha. He knew that look. It was Xander's killing look. The look he got when one of his pack was hurt or in danger. Yusuke touched his shoulder, bringing him back.

"Kyle?"

"It's Xander. I can't wake him." Another whimper drifted out of the guest room.

"Damn." Yusuke pushed him aside, hurriedly, yet gently, and made his way to their room. Kyle followed, but paused in the doorway; Xander was still shaking and murmuring in his sleep. What really surprised him though was what Yusuke did. Yusuke wasted no time in climbing into bed with Xander and embracing him. The act held no thought, it was a simple action, and it worked. It wasn't right away, but ever so slowly Xander's thrashing eased, the tremors stopped, and the tears became the barest trickle. Only the occasional whimper was left.

To say Kyle was shocked would be an understatement. He'd heard from more than one customer that Yusuke was a former delinquent. From Kuwabara and Rinku he'd been told that Yusuke was a bad-ass demon and one of the most powerful from the Makai. The descendant and heir of a king and practically a king himself with his own lands in the demon realm he'd heard about. But here and now the only face Yusuke wore was that of a worried brother.

"How did you know what to do?"

Yusuke's eyes met his across the shadowed room. "It was a nightmare." His voice was soft. "It's happened before. I don't know what he dreams about, but holding him always seems to help."

Kyle nodded; it would be good to know for future sleepovers. "Thank you...I didn't… I didn't know what to do. This the first time I've seen one of his nightmares."

Yusuke nodded. "Come to bed Kyle."

Kyle hesitated, until he locked eyes with Yusuke, and saw the same kindness that Xander showed them all. Kind eyes that were a deep soft brown, just like Xander's. "Okay." Kyle smiled and climbed onto the bed, curling up on Xander's other side. He watched as Yusuke wiped away the already drying tears.

A sense of acceptance settled over him. He got it. He understood then, in the quiet of the dark and early morning. Xander, his Alpha, needed someone strong. A partner. Someone to catch him when he couldn't be strong. As a whole, the pack could be Xander's net. But just him? Kyle smiled sadly, licked the last tear away from Xander's cheek and fell asleep.

XXX


	2. My Place: Rhonda

My Place: Rhonda

calikocat

word count: 360

XXX

Her place has always been out in the open but at the same time hidden. It's been this way as long as she can remember. She doesn't go to the country club or go on fancy vacations. She's not sure how many people know, but almost no one at school does, that she's sure of.

Publicly her mom is a single woman raising a daughter. There is no father in the picture. Privately it is a different matter. Rhonda knows who her dad is, always has, his name is on her birth certificate. She sees him all the time and she even gets to come over during the holidays, when he's not vacationing with his legitimate family. The best part though is that he treats Rhonda the same as her sister. Just quietly.

Her sister. They get along well. They didn't mingle in the same social circles, not until she got caught up in what the Scoobies did anyway. They've always been close; away from school and the sheep that flock around Corrie. Rhonda is the only one who gets to call her that. Anyone else would get publicly humiliated. Well Gwen could get away with it, but Gwen was the housekeeper, and had practically raised Corrie while her parents were being social.

It wouldn't remain a secret forever. In fact she thought maybe Xander might figure it out soon. He'd already declared that Corrie had always smelled like pack.

The couch cushion beside her dipped a bit as her sister joined her. "Here we go. Gwen's famous low fat brownies with non-fat whip cream."

Rhonda smiled and grabbed a brownie before un-pausing the movie. Watching 'A Muppets' Christmas Carol' every year was a guilty pleasure for both of them. "Thanks Corrie."

"You do realize I don't like that name." Cordelia gave her a scathing glare as Rizzo the Rat dashed through the bars of the gate after his jelly beans.

Rhonda smirked. "Which is why I use it."

"You are so immature." Cordelia rolled her eyes and delicately bit into a brownie as they watch the film. "Merry Christmas, Ronnie."

"Merry Christmas, Queen C."

XXX


	3. My Family: Tor

My Family: Tor

calikocat

word count: 687

XXX

He really wasn't sure about this. The change...the change would give him a boost. Make him stronger, faster, and a little more resilient. And if he was better, it would help the pack, help him keep the people he cared about safe. The others too, kids he'd known since elementary school, and their families. The work the pack did was good, important, and he already counted as human plus.

Accepting the gift Merlin and Nimue had offered him would help him carry out Rule One: Protect the Pack. Tor smiled at the thought of the first rule Xander had laid down. It was good that both alphas agreed on the order of the rules. Protect the Pack. Keep your Weapon. His grin broadened. Xander had included that rule specifically for Summers and her habit of letting her stakes dust. It was Willow though who had added an all important rule...Don't Die. And for now that's really all the rules they need.

Protect the Pack. Keep your weapon. Don't Die. All three were direct and simple. Just like his alphas. Neither Xander nor Buffy liked complicated things.

Tor sighed and looked up at the multicolored crystals of the chandelier...the library was an odd place for the decorative object but if Merlin wanted a chandelier in his library he wasn't going to say anything. But it made the room feel less like home; he'd retreated to this room in hope that being surrounded by ancient books would help him think. Unfortunately the atmosphere was nothing like the school library. Sure there were thousands of books in hundreds of languages but he missed the familiarity of Giles' sanctuary.

"It is only a gift child."

Tor jumped up from the settee he'd been resting on, a stake already in his hand, before he realized that it was only Nimue...not that anything of the night bump variety could get to where they were. He gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry."

Her face remained the picture of kindness, and her eyes were gentle. "It's my fault. Lin is always scolding me for walking too softly." She leaned closer and continued in a stage whisper. "He says I always spook our guests and that's why no one ever wants to come back."

Tor snickered a little and pocketed his stake once more before he sat back down. Nimue settled beside him and he twisted enough so that he could face her and still be comfortable. "Did you want something?"

Her pink eyes were gentle as she shook her head briefly. "No, you just seemed troubled.

"I guess I am."

"You do not have to accept our gift to be part of our family."

Tor looked down for a moment. "It's just, Xander is very protective of me, of all of us...but I'd be so much more useful to the pack if I accepted your gift."

"Xander? Oh, the boy Botan speaks often of, the younger brother of her friend Yusuke."

"Yeah."

"She speaks highly of him, of all your friends, and of you Tor."

"...Really?" He met her eyes again.

"Really. Now, I believe it's time for our midday meal, shall we see-" Nimue's words were cut off as the castle shook and a large sounding boom echoed beneath their feet.

"What was that?"

Nimue sighed. "Lin and Botan are experimenting in the lab again."

"Should we check on them?"

She wrinkled her nose and shook her head. "They'll be fine. Besides, the last time I walked into the lab I ended up green. Lin couldn't figure out how to change me back for nearly a week."

"Okay...so..." He smiled. "You said something about food?"

"I did. Let's go see what we can find in the kitchen." Nimue stood and held her hand out to him. Tor only hesitated for a second. It had been a long time since he'd had a mother... since he had a family. Second chances didn't come often so he accepted her hand and walked with her.

XXX


	4. My Life: Heidi

My Life: Heidi

calikocat

word count: 514

XXX

Sometimes Heidi felt out of place among the four. They all had some reason for being the way they were. The mean kids as Xander had once called them.

Kyle's parents were part of Sunnydale's social elite, always leaving him and his brothers at home while they socialized and went on cruises; the loneliness had made him bitter. Tor came from a broken and abusive home, being mean had been his outlet, the only safe outlet anyway. Rhonda was a mystery, her home was unbroken, and her mom was kind and never judgmental. Rhonda herself had a talent for dressing down anyone that dared cross her path...her talent nearly matched Cordelia's in that department.

Heidi was the odd one out; even more so than Rhonda. She had a mom and a dad, who were happily married, and a little brother who was only a brat on his worst days and became a mild nuisance on his good days. They lived in a one story house with a two car garage, a large backyard, and a moderate front yard with a pristine white picket fence.

Her dad was blue collar and he worked hard for them. Her mom was a bank clerk but always had time to fix supper after work. They weren't the Cleavers but they were close.

So sometimes Heidi felt she didn't fit into her niche as a mean kid. She wasn't abused, oppressed, or abandoned. She didn't need an outlet for pent up emotions but she couldn't deny the thrill of making someone else miserable...until things changed.

The Hyena.

Sometimes she hated what had happened. Especially what happened to Principal Flutie. He had been kind of a door mat but he hadn't deserved to get eaten. She still had nightmares about how he tasted, how his blood had drenched their faces and hands, and dripped from their teeth as they devoured him.

God...she'd been so glad to get the hyena out; and then repress the whole thing. At least until the relapse, it was scary that just the shadow, echo or whatever it was, had been so strong that they couldn't stop it from taking them over. Repressing probably hadn't helped much as just shoving everything back had backfired when their mental dams had broken.

Thank god for Harris. If he hadn't tracked them down...and how unfair was it that he'd been tapping into the hyena all that time and making it work for him…him and his alpha powers. But still...if Xander hadn't found them...people would have died. She didn't think she could handle another human death on her hands...she'd end her own life first. Flutie's screams in her head were enough.

Great...she'd depressed herself now. Heidi looked at the clock, it was still early, but Rhonda was busy and the guys were in Japan. She sighed and thought. Buffy was in L.A. with her dad...and Willow...hey...Willow might be home. She rolled off her bed and reached for her desk phone. She and Willow could have a brownie party and make fun of sappy Christmas movies. Willow made the best brownies.

XXX


	5. What Ifs: Xander

What ifs: Xander

calikocat

word count: 390

XXX

They were alone for the moment...which might not actually be a good thing. There was no telling what sort of trouble Kyle, Tor, and Rinku might get into without supervision. He shuddered and pushed that scary thought away, focusing his attention on Yusuke as his older brother brushed the almost hair-like feathers that flowed down Puu's neck.

"What's on your mind kid?"

"Not a kid."

Yusuke glanced at him, a smirk already on his face. "I guess not. Most kids don't have orgies in seedy hotels."

Xander rolled his eyes and threw a pebble at his brother. Yusuke dodged it easily. "Let it go Yusuke that was one time."

"Yeah, sure."

"Liar."

Puu cooed in the near silence after that, and then Yusuke spoke again. "Well?"

Xander took a breath. "How many of us do you think there are?"

Brown eyes met his own in confusion. "Be specific Xan. You talking demons, freaks, what?"

"Tony's kids."

Yusuke snorted. "Does it matter?"

"Well...yeah. I mean, think about it. First it was you and then there was me. How many more of us do you think there are? I know Tony wasn't loyal to Mom; he came home smelling like strange perfume several times. And when I was little he used to be gone for like a couple of weeks at a time. What if we have brothers...or sisters?" Yusuke started and jerked to stare at him in shock. "I thought that would get you. What if we have a little sister somewhere, one who doesn't have anyone to protect her?"

Yusuke sighed and put down the brush he'd been using. "Xander...there's not much we can do about that. We've got no way of finding them, if there even are any more of us."

"You found me."

"Only because I heard you in my head," He sighed and put his hand on Xander's shoulder. "Look, if I hear any more strange voices in my head I'll have Koenma look into it. And if you hear strange voices in your head you let me know. Okay?"

"Yeah...I guess."

"And if there are anymore out there we'll be here for them."

Xander sighed and nodded. "Okay." And really, there wasn't anything else to say.

XXX


	6. Little Brother, You Scare Me: Yusuke

Little Brother, You Scare Me: Yusuke

calikocat

word count: 909

XXX

He was exhausted, and had every right to be after the past few days. First it was Buffy's birthday party, followed by the Judge, his talk with Raizen and then the appearance of Angelus. It all sort of blurred together in his tired mind and all he wanted was to sleep. A nice natural sleep that is not one forced by demon touching. Unfortunately bed didn't look like an option. Yusuke was sitting on the front steps with Marshal lounging in his lap.

Yusuke looked up at him and merely shifted to the left, leaving plenty of room on his right for Xander. Xander sighed and sat beside him. "This couldn't wait till morning could it? I kinda feel like crap."

"So do I." His older brother stared straight ahead, his jaw clenched. "I felt when he touched you."

"Jesus. I'm sorry Yusuke."

Yusuke pushed Marshal off his lap and stood in a fluid motion. "Sorry! I don't care that I was hurt. I've been in pain before; I've been beaten to a pulp till I could barely move! I've died! Twice! You! You shouldn't have been in that kind of pain! What I felt was an echo and you...it was worse for you wasn't it?"

Xander shrugged. "For a bit."

xxx

Yusuke couldn't believe. The kid could have died and all he did was shrug and say the pain only lasted for a moment. "What the hell Xander?"

"The pain was bad, I screamed, and then it stopped because according to Raizen I have an inner panic button."

Yusuke blinked. "What? What does Raizen have to do with this?"

Xander rolled his eyes and Yusuke resisted the urge to smack him. "Evidently I've got this bond with Pops, whenever my soul ends up in a limbo state he gets dragged along for the ride. Believe me he was not happy about that, on account of he was hanging out with his lady friend. You know the one he fell in love with. They got reunited and everything. So we had a nice little chat and you'll be happy to know that the whole Judge thing didn't kill me." He grinned at Yusuke and held up a hand to stall any comments. "Not even a little bit. See, the whole Hyena thing is handier than we ever thought. What was left of her merged with my hidden Mazoku parts and shielded me from the Judge's power."

Yusuke grimaced and folded his arms, staring down at his little brother. "So...inner panic button, huh?"

"Basically...okay Raizen didn't call it that, but that is the gist of what happened. So, you felt that huh. How bad did that scare Keiko? How is she by the way? The baby should be due soon right?"

Yusuke didn't hold back, he cuffed his little brother. "Don't change the subject; we're not done talking about this. Because this crap with the coms not working and Reikai being out of reach could happen again."

Xander rubbed his head, but froze at the last bit. "Say what now? Again? Why?"

Yusuke looked down at the kid and felt nothing but worry. "The Fates are still pissed about that Prophecy you broke. This whole thing with the Judge was a trial to see if your people could survive." He watched as the information sunk in. Xander's eyes grew wide in shock, then narrowed and glowed green with rage. The boy snarled and shot to his feet.

"Where do I find these Fates and how the hell do I kill them?"

"You can't kill them. Believe me Botan and I both wanted to, Koenma forbid it."

"And that stopped you how?"

Yusuke gave him a look. "We wouldn't be much good to you or anyone if King Yama locked us up in prison for trying to go after someone as powerful as the Fates. Look I didn't get it at first either. But these gals...they're something different than the demons either of us knows. Even Botan's folks are careful around them."

"Botan...parents, right. Tor mentioned that." Xander took a breath as he calmed down, his eyes returned to their normal color. "Who are they anyway?"

"Merlin and Nimue."

"Holy crap."

"I guess that means more to you than it did me. She had to explain it all to me; I really didn't want the history lesson."

"Holy crap."

"You said that already."

"Sorry. It's...just...my brain, doesn't want to work anymore. I'm overworked, underpaid, and overloaded." He ran a hand through his hair and Yusuke caught sight of something that shouldn't be.

"What's that?"

"What's what?"

"On your shoulder."

Xander looked down, blinked in surprise and met his eyes as he lifted up the sleeve on his t-shirt. "I keep forgetting about that. The whole Judge thing made me a little bit more demony. Got my first Mazoku mark and everything.

Yusuke looked at the green crescent tribal mark in shock, and a little fear. He could control when the marking appeared on his body. But Xander's mark...it was different somehow, and not just the color. Raizen's had been black, and Yusuke's were blue while Xander's was green. That creepy Hyena green. Yusuke wondered what exactly his little brother was going to become.

"Kid...sometimes you scare me."

"Niisan, you have no idea how much I agree with you."

XXX


	7. One of Ours: Giles

One of Ours: Giles

calikocat

Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or any of the shows characters.

word count: 325

XXX

Giles glanced up from the book he was reading a loud, there was no change in Jenny's features. Her skin was getting paler every day, and while her hair was still beautiful and soft he knew it would only be a matter of time before it became like straw. It was happening all too soon, her body was getting weaker every moment she stayed in the coma, even as she healed.

The doctors could only do so much, and because of the trauma to her brain, Willow was leery of using her developing miko abilities to heal her. The other injuries, the numerous fractures from her frightened flight from Angelus had healed, apparently miraculously. But then Willow and Tor had been stopping by often enough to check on her. Tor's use of magic had surprised him, and neither he nor Xander had been willing to explain the sudden development. Both had simply shrugged and told him to ask Botan, who being sneaky, seemed to always manage to avoid him.

What surprised him the most had been … Xander's ability to forgive Jenny's betrayal. To Xander it was natural, and at first he suspected it was because of Xander's past with figures of authority. Instead Xander had looked at him directly and said; "Giles, she's from a different pack. And pack always comes first. She had orders and she followed them, even at the risk of ruining her happiness. That much loyalty...I just wish we had claimed her as pack before things got so messed up."

Then...Xander had let an interesting bit of information slip. Jenny's tribe had already tried to take her away; the wards now on her room weren't just keeping out Angelus, but the gypsies as well.

Xander had claimed her as pack...though...it was probably already too late.

He looked at Jenny again. "Whatever happens, you will have a family here to take care of you. We'll make sure of it."

XXX

Happy New Year!


	8. My Alpha Brat: Botan

My Alpha Brat: Botan

calikocat

word count: 308

XXX

Botan made the call. She couldn't just act; the repercussions would be too great. Already she was losing sight of her duties as a guide, which wasn't good. Her loyalties shouldn't be this divided.

She was Reikai's top guide, Koenma's right hand, formerly Yusuke's special assistant...and now...she was Xander's...something. Botan wasn't sure what it meant, but somehow she'd taken a place in the pack, whether Xander realized it or not.

Xander probably didn't even realize the power he had over others, how he drew them to him. He wasn't like a deadly flame drawing unsuspecting moths to their doom...he was warmth and shelter, safety in an unsure world. Somehow this little boy had become her Alpha.

Her, she was more than a thousand years old, the daughter of the most famous and powerful wizard. She was the daughter of a Fairie Queen who had no desire to rule a court; that instead wanted to spend her existence in a peaceful pocket dimension beneath the Great Lakes. Nimue hated politics.

Botan made the call.

"Botan?" Koenma's face appeared on the screen, marred with a small frown. "What is it?"

"Is Xander supposed to die tonight?"

"...what kind of question is that?"

"Angelus has taken Xander; I don't know why yet...has his time come?"

Koenma shuffled something off screen, probably checking his computer. "Let me see...no. He's not supposed to die for a few more-"

"That's all I need to know." She swallowed her relief, temporary as it was. "Do I have your permission to save him?"

The godling gave her a puzzled look. "Yes." He peered at her closely. "Should Yusuke know?"

"I'm not sure. If Yusuke came here now...things might...get worse."

"Fair enough. Be careful."

She nodded and closed her communicator. She had an Alpha brat to save.

XXX


	9. Unexpected: Amy

Unexpected: Amy

calikocat

Word count: 438

A/N: Raizen never gave us a name for the woman he loved. Made one up.

XXX

She thought she'd feel different. They had come to her because they needed help and she had hoped to become one of them. So she'd agreed. It was better than going to Rack for another fix, felt better too. The magic high Rack offered was dark and clung to her aura like the stench of a skunk for hours. Helping Buffy and the others...was a different kind of high. For a moment she belonged.

Even lying in bed with a coma she was part of their group. Someone had been outside standing guard, watching her back. It was something she'd never really had before. She was still needed, and when she woke up she'd been all too ready to help.

However the coma had weakened her more than she thought. It had opened a door in her subconscious, and the darkness of the gypsy curse would have ripped her apart...if she hadn't grabbed onto Willow...she would have died. Or ended up a vegetable.

So now she had all this extra darkness swirling about within her. It troubled her. Made her dream and hallucinate, horrible visions of hell danced about her mind and she wondered if she'd somehow been bound to the dimension Angel had been sent to.

xxx

Kazue knelt by the girl, her hair an odd color she'd only ever seen on demons when she'd lived before, the girl's eyes were open but she lay still as if in shock. Kazue looked up at her lover. "We've seen this girl before."

"That we have." He gazed at the girl, wondering why they kept seeing her here in this place, always laying on the ground unresponsive in the distance. This was the first time they'd ever been so close to her. It was odd; usually the only soul he ever saw in this sort of limbo was Xander.

Kazue frowned as she touched the child's forehead. "She is full of much darkness."

"Is she injured?"

"Some. She is recovering." Kazue examined her a bit. "Give me a hand?"

He nodded and leaned down to pick the girl up, and her eyes blinked and locked with his. Images passed between them, and he understood exactly why she was here. Raizen sighed, and then forced his youki into the girl's aura, causing her to spasm and scream in pain.

"Did it work?"

He nodded and lifted the girl up. "I've purged the darkness from her. She will heal much faster now."

Kazue touched the girl's forehead again. "Rest little one. We'll watch over you until your soul returns to your body."

XXX


	10. No More Secrets: Willow

No More Secrets: Willow

calikocat

word count: 191

XXX

Holy Cow! When she wanted a reveal all from Xander...this was not what she'd expected. The Spike thing was enough of a surprise thank you very much...but...Xander. Her best friend had demon blood.

There was nothing wrong with that. She'd met Clem; he'd even walked her home a couple of times. He was a nice guy, really polite and everything. But this was Xander...her Xander...who had demon blood.

And what the heck...Yusuke and Kurama didn't look like demons at all...okay so Kurama was too pretty to be human and Yusuke had sort of a commanding presence...although sometimes Xander got like that. She'd just always thought it had something to do with the hyena.

Don't get her wrong, she was glad he had that spark of demony-ness. If it hadn't been for that he'd have burnt up when the Judge had touched him. So yay for demon genes.

It... was just a lot to take in. But...Xander was Xander and he was her Xander...and that was all that mattered.

Except that she still wanted to smack him upside the head for keeping so many secrets from her. Boys could be so stupid sometimes.

XXX


End file.
